A Warrior's Destiny
by Stop Thinking it's Annoying
Summary: About a young she-cat called Snowpaw joining a clan called Cloudclan. As her life unfolds, more and more is reveiled about her mysterious past. Before she knows it, she finds herself at the heart of an epic adventure, with one goal - to become leader...
1. Allegiances

Allegiances

Cloudclan:

**Leader: Furrystar** – A large ginger tom with a long tail and fluffy fur.

**Deputy: Whitestripe** - A huge tabby tom with a white stripe running from the top of his nose to the tip of his tail. Very kind but occasionally ferocious.

**Medicine Cat: Echofeather** – a beautiful she–cat tortoiseshell. Her apprentice is called Autumnpaw, a light brown tabby she-cat.

**Warriors:**

**Snowstorm:** A pretty young she – cat with long white snowy fur and ice-blue eyes.

**Padfoot: **A dappled tom, the newest warrior in Cloudclan.

**Smallcloud: **A bossy white tom

**Blackpatch: **A tom with black and white fur.

**Shallowfoot: **A senior warrior whose middle pad was gouged out by a thorn when he was an apprentice, but he can run like the wind!

**Flicktail: **A young she cat with a thin tail that matches her temper! A fierce but loyal cat.

**Quickstep:** A quick young tom that got recruited the same as Snowstorm. Originally from Windclan.

**Goldenheart:** A wise golden tom (senior Warrior), almost as big as Whitestripe, who is kind and gentle.

**Windfeather: **A bouncy young tom who controls Flicktail's temper (not as easy as it may seem!).

**Turfpelt: **A young she-cat with a wild sense of adventure.

**Flowerpelt: **A pretty she-cat with bushy fur.

**Whitewhisker: **A black tom with white paws and black pads.

Apprentices:

**Cracklepaw:** A black tom with static fur. Nobody sleeps next to him because of it.

**Silverpaw: **A brave tom with silver fur.

**Foxpaw: ** A dappled she-cat with blue eyes.

**Cherrypaw: **A gentle she-cat with amber eyes.

**Emberpaw: **Dark ginger tom with a white tipped tail. He is fierce, but loyal and protective towards his birth clan.

**Leappaw: **A small tortoiseshell she-cat

**Lilypaw: **A she-cat with beautiful snow white fur.

**Flowerpaw: **A light golden she-cat with a distinctive white chest.

**Swiftpaw: **A she-cat who's the fastest in the clan (originally form Windclan.).

Queens:

**Silverfur: **A protective young she cat with pale green eyes. (Nursing kits)

**Moonfur: **A she-cat who left her life as a rogue to come and join the clan (expecting kits)

Kits:

**Hailkit: **A caring she-cat who is always looking out for her clanmates!

**Rainkit: **A silver tom with a white stripe on his forehead.

**Fernkit: **A cheerful tortoiseshell she-cat.

Elders:

**Triptail: **An old tom with a bent tail, which means that he lost his sense of balance.

**Crackeye:** An old she-cat who had her eye slit in a fight against a badger.

**Shortsnout:** An old tom with a short snout covered in battle scars.


	2. Prologue

**Notes & Disclaimer:**

**SnowstarRocz: **Finally its out! Get reading!

**FlamefeatherRoxz: **Finally! It's been like a month!

**SnowstarRocz: ***Gives evil glare* Thanks for the reveiws!

**Snowpaw: **Can I do the disclaimer? Please please please pleeeeeeeeease?

**SnowstarRocz: **Alriight... ¬¬'

**Snowpaw: **Yay! Can my friend do it too?

**SnowstarRocz: **I suppose so...

**Snowpaw: **Right then. SnowstarRocz

**Unknown Cat: **Doesn't own

**Snowpaw: **The Warriors books!

**FlamefeatherRoxz: **Or my book! (called The Rising Flame)

**SnowstarRocz**: I own some of it, cos I wrote some of it! (the 1st chapter!)

**FlamefeatherRoxz: ***Gives evil glare* no you didn't I deleted half of the stuff you wrote! (feels guilty)

**SnowstarRocz: **They are provbably getting bored now... on with the story!

**Someone in background: **Yeah, with your constant nattering!

* * *

><p><span>Prologue<span>

Snowpaw ran through the forest, the rabbit bobbing ahead of her. It was her first solo hunting mission, and she was determined to do the best she could. Just a few more strides and she would catch it. Pushing with her hind paws, she leapt. The rabbit wriggled beneath her tight grip, and she killed it with a swift bite to the neck. Looking around, she shivered at the sight of the frost growing on the leaves and bushes. _Winter has begun_. Scraping earth over her catch so that she could collect it later, she padded onward through the undergrowth, listening and scenting for more prey. To her left, she could hear the rushing of the stream that marked the border. She looked at the sky. It was growing darker. She should be heading back, but she carried on ploughing her way through the dense undergrowth. All of a sudden, the land widened out. She was in a thicket, and in front of her was a hole. She sniffed. _No scent of fox _she concluded. In fact, there was no scent of _anything_ here. She crept forward and reached into the hole. A layer of earth blocked her path. She dug, aware of the light growing rapidly dimmer but not wanting to leave in case she never found this place again. After a while, her claws scraped something. She dug further and pulled it out. It was an old bone, very old, but not yet crumbled by moons of being underground. She dropped it and stared at it curiously. Then she heard a voice that seemed to come from inside her head. _"You freed me. Thank you."_

"Who are you?" she called desperately. She _had _to find out how it was. "Tell me who you are!"

"_I am your history, young one. My bones have been trapped for a very long time, and my spirit is not at rest. My bones are just one memory. Dig, and find out what it is you want to know." _

She dug further, and soon she had uncovered the rest of the bones. She arranged them carefully in a row, flicking off the earth. Then she listened. The voice came again.

"_You have done what I asked, and therefore I shall answer you. I am one who once knew the warrior code. But my tragic life ended in what no cat would expect."_

"Tell me more!" she yowled, but the voice had gone, like a leaf carried away by the wind.


	3. Mysteries

**Notes and Disclaimer:**

**Snowpaw: **The climax begins! Chapter 1 is out!

**FlamefeatherRoxz: **Yes! By the way, SnowstarRocz doesn't own Warriors.

**SnowstarRocz: **No! Erin Hunter does!

**Snowpaw: **Good reading!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

The camp was pitch black. No sound came from the hollow. Snowpaw crept to the entrance of her den, carefully avoiding the other apprentices. She sniffed the air. Brackenfur was on guard duty – she should avoid him. _The Dirtplace tunnel it is, then. _Stalking around the edge of the clearing, she kept as quietly as she could and kept her breathing shallow. Nearing the tunnel, she peered around the camp before she went. All was silent except for the quiet shuffling and snoring of the sleeping cats.

Bounding through the forest, Snowpaw felt her paws take her almost unconsciously through the dense undergrowth, over trees, under branches and carefully avoiding patches of brambles. She knew she must visit the tunnels again. If her unnamed friend could tell her more, she must listen to her. She _had_ to tell her what she had found out. _That _was why Leafpool was such a bad warrior! Her secret must have _forced_ her to give up her duties as a medicine cat! But what secret was this? And how was this unnamed Warrior that Snowpaw had found been linked to it?

Snowpaw skidded to a halt and squeezed through the tangled branches into the thicket. The bones were where she had left them – but then, who would have moved them? She sniffed them carefully before noticing that some of the earth around the tunnels had moved. She sniffed around the hole. No one had entered or left the tunnels while she had been away. She padded forward slowly. She could see a tiny spot of light ahead of her, and crawled towards her. The tunnels were cold and damp, and the walls soon turned into a slippery stone that grew colder as she continued. The light grew, and soon she was at a meeting of two tunnels. A faint scent still hung in the air - but she couldn't recognise it. A strong scent of moorland came off the tunnel to the left - she guessed that must lead to Windclan territory. The other just smelled damp and cold. She chose that one. It led into darkness- she couldn't see anything. She began to panic as the walls seemed to crush her in. She began to run forward as fast as she could, haring down the tunnel to reach the end where it must come above ground. And, as if in answer to her, the tunnel began to open out into a large cave. The light blinded her as she rushed out of the tunnel. A huge rock loomed above her and a stream crossed the sandy floor in front of her. More tunnels branched off from the clearing. All of a sudden, Snowpaw heard a ghostly voice speak to her from the rock. Her head snapped up. "I see I have a visitor," it said. "But I never expected it to be you. At least, not you _yet_"

"What does that mean? And who are you?"

The cat on the rock was old, very old - his eyes seemed to bulge out of his head, and pink skin replaced fur. He stared down at Snowpaw with blank, sightless eyes that seemed to stare right through her. "I am rock - I lived and died in this cave. A cat in your clan knows me very well, and you shall know me more to come. And take heed of what I tell you, for soon you may have need of it. Now tell me, is there any chance of rain?"

_What has that got to do with me? _She thought, but then remembered his words and said, "The sky is clear and it has not rained for nearly half a moon."

"That is alright then. Now pick a tunnel - the one that you choose will choose your destiny." With one claw he slowly scraped a short scratch in the rock, a deeply gouged mark that sat in plain sight on the smooth rock face. "Decide well." And with that, he as gone.

Snowpaw crept quickly down the tunnel she had chosen. She hoped it was the right one - her clanmates would be wondering where she was if she didn't get back quickly. She raced down the smooth stone tunnel, her fur brushing the walls as she raced toward the end. The tunnel split into two in front of her - she quickly chose the left one before racing onwards again. She could see a light up ahead - she raced towards it, not stopping to wonder where she would end up when she came out at the end. The tunnel widened and soon she could stand up properly again. Now she ran forward at full pelt, her muscles pumping and her tail streaming out behind her. She leapt out of the tunnel and flopped down, panting, onto the dry grass. She was in a clearing, surrounded by giant oak trees. A large bush loomed ahead of her, with a tunnel leading into its' depths. She padded forward carefully, sniffing the air. Lots of cats had been here. She crept slowly into the bush, and didn't see or feel it when a huge paw slammed into her head. Then the blackness washed over her like a gigantic wave.


	4. The Invitation

**Notes/Disclaimer:**

**FlamefeatherRoxz: **Yes! It's out!

**SnowstarRocx: **I know!

**Snowpaw: **Yay! Can I do the disclaimer again?

**SnowstarRocx: **Okay then... *sighs*

**Snowpaw: **Yay! SnowstarRocx does not own Warriors!

**FlamefeatherRoxz: **No! Erin Hunter does!

**SnowstarRocz: ***Sighs*

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

Snowpaw fought her way awake and blinked open her eyes. She was in a huge cave, at least 2 fox lengths above her and 5 from side to side. The stone cave was lit by a hole in the roof that was almost a fox length wide. Small groups of cats grouped around the edges of the cave, and she spotted a pile of fresh kill in the centre. A bush grew at one side of the cave, halfway towards the entrance. She spotted nests inside, and young cats rolled and tumbled at the entrance. _That must be the apprentices den, _she thought. A wedge of rock jutted out of the side of the rock nearer the entrance, cats slept inside and entered and exited as she watched. _The Warriors den, _and then she spotted a tunnel leading away from the main cave. Kits tumbled around outside, and a pregnant queen watched them from the entrance. Snowpaw turned and saw another den, near the nursery. It was a shallow dent in the wall of the cave. Elders grumbled as Apprentices searched them for ticks and cleaned out their bedding.

Snowpaw turned her head away at the sound of voices. A group of warriors were surrounding a fluffy brown tom, who was talking to them in a hushed voice. They stood outside a wide tunnel that receded into the back of the cave wall, the entrance facing the mouth of the cave. _The leaders den. _The warriors kept glancing rabbit swift glances at her, before continuing their muted conversation. It was obvious they were talking about her.

Eventually the fluffy brown tom stalked over to her, the other cats following. She sat still and returned his stare evenly. He sat in front of her while his followers sat around him and watched her curiously. She knew she was small, but she stood defiantly against them and hoped that she looked braver than she was.

The Fluffy brown tom began to speak. "My name is Furrystar. I am the leader of Cloudclan. We have chosen you to join our new clan. If not, we shall let you go. But," he narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice dangerously, "You must speak of nothing that you have seen."

Snowpaw's eyes widened and she gasped in surprise. She hadn't expected to be invited to join them! Then she glared at him in suspicion. _Was he really inviting her, or something else? _ "Why are you asking me this?" She demanded.

"I am inviting you because you have all the specifications."

"What specifications?" she could sense his certainty and hope as he spoke.

"You are related to the great Warrior Whitestorm, for example. Through Whitestorm, Bluestar's blood runs in you veins. You are truly of Thunderclan, blood and loyalty. You are only a young Warrior – you can learn our ways quickly. And there are many others." His eyes gleamed, memories and knowledge swimming there like fish.

"Okay," she said. "Can I think about this?"

"Have all the time you like," he admitted, "But you may not leave camp without atleast two of my warriors with you. You may be invited to join the clan, but I don't want you leaving without me knowing it."

"Okay. When I have my answer, I'll give it to you."

Furrystar turned and, with a flick of his tail, led his warriors over to his den.

Snowpaw settled back down into the nest provided for her and gazed ahead, turning over her thoughts before thrusting them aside in frustration. She wanted to join this clan with all the new adventures and mysteries it would bring, but what about Thunderclan? How could she leave the clan she had grown up and trained in for all of her life? There was no correct answer, so Snowpaw curled up again, lost in thought.


	5. A Real Apprentice!

**Notes and Disclaimer:**

**Snowpaw: **Wow! Two Chapters in two days! Your getting good!

**SnowstarRocz:** Well, I have been writing a lot recently, because I've had a lot more time on the computer than usual..

**Snowpaw: **Well I don't care because the faster you update your story, the more fans you will get! XD

**SnowstarRocz: ***sighs* by the way, readers, I don't own the Warriors, Erin Hunter does!

**Snowpaw: **So don't go thinking she does! (even though she is that amazing!)

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

Snowpaw woke to the sound of pawsteps padding towards her. Furrystar was approaching her from the other side of the clearing. She sat up quickly and began to groom her ruffled fur. Furrystar sat in front of her and waited until she had finished before beginning to speak. "Now you have made your decision, I expect you to stick to it," he began. "I will hold a ceremony at sunhigh. Until then, the other apprentices will show you where you will sleep. After the ceremony, your mentor will hold a training session with you. You have a lot to learn, but you are young, and open to new ideas. You will learn quickly."

"Thank you, Furrystar," she acknowledged his praise and acceptance with a dip of her head before standing up and following Furrystar to where the apprentices stood outside their den, an overhanging bush with wide, shiny leaves. They all looked up as Furrystar arrived, sitting with their ears pricked, listening intensely.

"Snowpaw has decided to join us," he began. "I want you all to make her welcome and show her where she will sleep. Show her the camp, too. We hold her ceremony at sunhigh." He turned and padded away, leaving Snowpaw to be shown around the camp by the other apprentices.

"Well," said one of the apprentices, a dark ginger tom with a white tipped tail. "I suppose we'd better show your nest. My name is Emberpaw, by the way. This is Swiftpaw, Flowerpaw, Lilypaw, Leappaw, Cherrypaw, Foxpaw, Silverpaw and Cracklepaw." He pointed to each of the apprentices in turn before beckoning her with his tail and vanishing into the den.

She crawled in after him and stood looking around. Some of the apprentices followed her in and settled down on the mossy bedding. A black tom curled up in the corner, and cats shuffled about to give him room. "Cracklepaw has static fur," Emberpaw explained when he saw the look of sympathy for the poor tom cross her face. "He doesn't mind not being slept next to, and I wouldn't, if I were you. You'll be kept awake all night. It's not his fault; it's just the way he is." He flicked his tail to an empty space. "This will be your nest." He said. "Make good use of it. You'll be training twice as hard as you used to, now that you have a completely different type of hunting and fighting to learn. But I'm sure you'll manage," he added with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Snowpaw followed Emberpaw out of the den and into the clearing. Cats were already beginning to gather underneath the huge rock at the far end of the cave. Furrystar was sitting in its shadow, talking to some of his warriors. Movement at the entrance tunnel mad Snowpaw turn her head. A hunting patrol was returning, their jaws laden with fresh kill. They dropped it on the pile and dispersed into groups, some lying down next to friends to share tongues, others walking over to their dens to get some rest. Snowpaw looked up as a bright light entered the cave. The sun had come level with the hole at the top of the cave – light flooded the ground and she was half blinded by the sheer ferocity of the sunlight. Emberpaw saw her blinking and explained, "This is called sun-time. It happens once a day, and when it does, cats share tongues and eat. It is a time of happiness." He walked over the fresh kill pile and grabbed two mice before settling down in the bright warm sun. He laid one mouse beside him and beckoned her to join him. She lay down beside him and began to eat, while she enjoyed the rhythmic strokes of Emberpaw's tongue across her back. It soon lulled her into a doze, and it seemed like only a few minutes before Furrystar called from the rock, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Skyrock for a clan meeting!" cats began to pour from their dens and gather in the centre of the camp. Snowpaw sprang up and padded forward beside Emberpaw. They sat side by side as Furrystar began the meeting. "I have called you together to welcome a new apprentice. Snowpaw, come forward." Snowpaw padded forward, her tail quivering in excitement, to stand before Furrystar. He gazed down at her, his eyes like moons. "Snowpaw, do you promise to try as hard as you can to strive to become the warrior that this clan expects you to become?"

"I do." Snowpaw's reply was strong and certain. She had made her choice – there was no going back.

"Then by the powers of Starclan I confirm your apprentice name, and welcome you as an apprentice of Cloudclan. Now that I am free to take on an apprentice, I shall mentor you. I hope that you will become a great warrior one day." He leapt down from the rock and rested his muzzle on her head. Snowpaw licked his shoulder before drawing away to sit beside Emberpaw again. He flicked her shoulder with his tail. She was going to be the clan leader's apprentice! She wriggled with glee, accepting the congratulations of her clanmates with grateful smiles and friendly flicks of her tail. She was a true Cloudclan apprentice now.


	6. Ambush!

**SnowstarRocz:** At last!

**Everybody else:** Yes, atlast!

**SnowstarRocz:** After a long summer of not seeing FlamefeatherRoxz, she has finally sent me back an email saying that the chapter was alright!

**FlamefeatherRoxz:** I was in Whales!

**SnowstarRocz:** whatever

**FlamefeatherRoxz:** Disclaimer time!

**Snowpaw:** I don't own Warriors!

**FlamefeatherRoxz:** But guess who does?

**Snowpaw:** Erin Hunter!

**SnowstarRocz:** lol XD

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

Snowpaw struggled into wakefulness, stretching her jaws in an enormous yawn. Foxpaw was stretching beside her and commented, "It's a nice morning! I hope Whitewhisker has something good planned for me."

"Yeah," Snowpaw replied. "I expect he will. I wonder if Goldenheart is going to take me hunting. "I hope so," she added, "I haven't been hunting in _ages_!"

She turned and crawled out of the den. It had been two moons since her first hunting mission, and but she felt like she had been an apprentice for moons! She stood blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light, before giving herself a quick grooming. Goldenheart and Whitewhisker were walking towards them, heads close together as they talked. They looked up as they saw Snowpaw stretching in front of the den entrance. "Whitewhisker and I have decided to assess your training. I know you haven't hunted for a while, but I doubt that would stop you from bringing back a wealthy catch for the fresh kill pile."

"I want you both to be back by sunset with your prey." Whitewhisker continued. " Snowpaw, you can head down by the stream towards the Windclan border, and Foxpaw, you can go in the opposite direction, up towards the pine forest. Take as long as you like, but don't get back late!"

Snowpaw and Foxpaw bounded away, through the entrance tunnel and out into the lush Greenland. The grass swayed comfortingly around Snowpaw's paws, cooling them down. Murmuring a goodbye to Foxpaw, she bounded off into the forest, towards the stream.

Something was wrong. Snowpaw could feel the tension in the air, like the last moment before a storm breaks. She listened, straining her ears. No sound came to her ears. No prey squeaking, no birds tweeting, even the air was silent, as if holding its breath.

Snowpaw crouched low and crept forward, all of her senses alert for danger. Suddenly, a screech split the air. Forgetting her prey, she sprinted through the forest, her legs pounding as if a whole pack of dogs were behind her. The ntrance tunnel lay in sight. She tumbled through and burst into the clearing, to see cats, more than she could count, plunging into the cave, shouldering her out of the way. More jumped down through the Skyhole, surrounding her clan and blocking off any exits. The elders and queens with their kits sat in the nursery, and Warriors fought their way to the entrance, hackles up and claws out. Snowpaw began to run over to Foxpaw, but was bowled over by a huge cat who pressed her face down to the ground. She wriggled and clawed at the cats' fur, but it would not let her up. Then Furrystar came into the clearing.

"Stop!"

Cats around Snowpaw fell silent and looked up at Furrystar.

_What was happening?_


End file.
